Crime Doctor (1943)

On June 22, 1943, Columbia Pictures released the first of the Crime Doctor films, Crime Doctor (1934). Aging former leading man Warner Baxter plays Dr. Robert Ordway, a renowned criminal psychologist.

The film begins with several men dumping Ordway from a vehicle. A blow to his head causes an extreme case of amnesia. As he regains his strength, Robert Ordway, the name he has taken, starts helping at the sanitarium. Eventually finishing a course of study, Robert Ordway becomes Dr. Ordway.

Ten years after Dr. Ordway is found on the side of the road, a group of mysterious men arrive on the scene. Their arrival triggers events in Dr. Ordway’s memory. Who was Dr. Ordway in his previous life?

The Crime Doctor films were a unique entry into the “B” films put out by Columbia Pictures in the 1940s. Due to Baxter’s increasingly fragile health after a nervous breakdown, Columbia only produced two Crime Doctor films a year. Instead of grinding out film after film as cheaply as possible, Columbia invested in a little more quality since few films were made.

The reduced film schedule also allowed the talented Baxter to continue making films instead of retiring. Baxter passed away at the young age of 62 on May 7, 1951.

Crime Doctor runs about 65 minutes.

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